US highway endpoints in Walterboro, SC
1933-present
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c. 1934, Gallup
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US 401 [ii] was commissioned in 1933 to run from Raleigh NC to Walterboro. One might question whether this instance of US 401 was ever actually signposted, since already by 1935 US 15 had been rerouted such that it subsumed US 401, ending in Walterboro...
c. 1939, Rand McNally
...but a 1930s postcard from a hotel formerly located at the junction with US 17 provides compelling evidence that US 401 was real:
(linked to source)
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US 401 -- and then, for the next several years, US 15 -- ended two blocks south of US 15's current terminus. That was because US 17 came in on Hampton Street (not Wichman Street, as it does today). Hampton is now SC hwy. 63, and signage where it meets Jefferies Boulevard looks like this:
Watkins, Jan. 2008
Originally, that was southbound US 17, which continued to the left on Jefferies. To the right may have briefly been the south beginning of US 401, and then -- for a much longer period -- US 15.
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Here, we are looking north on Jefferies:
Watkins, Jan. 2008
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US 17 turned right there on Hampton, and straight ahead was US 401/US 15. The sign assembly on the corner is shown close-up here:
Watkins, Jan. 2008
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The 1951 SC official state highway map was the only issue that ever showed the US 15 designation extending south of Walterboro, ending just south of Yemassee at its junction with US 17 in Pocataligo:
c. 1951, SCDoT
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The very next issue showed US 15 ending in Walterboro again, while the road between there and Yemassee was designated as US 17 Alternate (as it is to the present day). Historic AASHO documents confirm that the US 15 extension was approved, although that decision was reversed after about six months, which makes one question whether the extension was ever actually signposted. However, the description of this motel's location suggests that it was real...
from a postcard, probably c. 1950-1960
...and remarkably a photo exists that proves US 15 was indeed signposted to Pocataligo:
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c. 1952 (linked to source)
 In 1951 US 17 traffic (now Alt 17) was rerouted through Walterboro, and ever since then the beginning of US 15 has been two blocks north of its historic terminus. This photo shows the signage there:
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Cozart/Nitzman, Oct. 2006
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That was looking north on Jefferies. Northbound US 17A takes a right there on Wichman, while straight ahead is the south beginning of US 15. This next photo was taken just ahead, showing the first northbound sign:
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Cozart/Nitzman, Oct. 2006
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Heading the opposite direction (south on Jefferies), these photos show the last US 15 southbound trailblazer:
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Dawson, Dec. 2001
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Nitzman, Dec. 2020
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That is only about one block from the south terminus, signage at which is shown in these photos:
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Dawson, Dec. 2001
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Nitzman, Dec. 2020
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At Wichman Street, US 15 ends, and it is southbound US 17A that continues ahead on Jefferies. Northbound US 17A is left on Wichman. Next is the perspective from westbound Wichman (southbound US 17A):
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Dawson, Dec. 2001
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The assembly in the distance (on the far side of Jefferies) is shown close-up here:
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Cozart/Nitzman, Oct. 2006
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The south beginning of US 15 is to the right (at far right can be seen the same assembly shown two photos above).
Research and/or photo credits: Justin Cozart; David Dawson; Alex Nitzman; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Mac Watkins
Page originally created 2000;
last updated Dec. 29, 2023.
last updated Dec. 29, 2023.
